I tried Wildgrain, a subscription for artisan bread and pastries you bake at home. It's a lifesaver if you don't have a good bakery nearby.

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

When asked which foods I'd take to a desert island, bread tops the list. I yearn for fresh bread made with clean, high-quality ingredients, but I currently live in a small town with few local bakeries. So, when I heard about Wildgrain, a subscription service that ships bake-from-frozen artisanal bread, pastries, and pasta, I knew I had to give it a try.

Wildgrain fills a gap for people like me, who live in more isolated areas, but it's also great for stocking your freezer and satisfying dietary restrictions. Last year, I learned I have a gluten intolerance, so I was excited to taste Wildgrain's line of both gluten-free and vegan products. In my first box, I received a variety of gluten-free and gluten-containing goodies including pasta, bread, and cookies. The quality of everything blew me away. Despite the fact that these products cost more than the alternatives at my local grocery store, I'd happily invest again.

Here is my honest Wildgrain review.

How it works

After entering your email, Wildgrain gives you the choice of three subscription options: four items for $69-89, six items for $89-109, or 12 items for $149-189. The gluten-free boxes are at the higher end, costing about $20 more than the regular products. You cannot combine gluten-free and regular products in one box.

Next, you can mix and match breads, pastries, and pastas. Wildgrain also offers specialty items like slow-churned French butter, slow-fermented pizzas, and maple Belgian waffles. Feeling indecisive? If you select "fill my box with best-selling items," Wildgrain will automatically add all the most popular products.

Once you checkout, Wildgrain takes up to seven business days to pack and ship your box and up to three days to receive it. While the default shipment frequency is every month, you can adjust it to every six weeks, two months, or three months. Shipping is always free with Wildgrain, and you can cancel your membership up to four days before your next shipment.

Regular bread and pastries

In my box, I received giant chocolate chunk cookies, potato gnocchi, and slow-fermented artisanal pita. I started with the potato gnocchi, which was a cinch to make — I just tossed them into boiling water, waited about four minutes, and then added them back to the pot with my sauce. The gnocchi had a delicate potato flavor and a nice pillowy texture.

Wildgrain isn't exaggerating with the name Giant Chocolate Chunk Cookies: the cookies look modestly sized when frozen, but they spread a lot after baking. My husband thought they were oversized, but I don't think there's such a thing as "too big of a cookie." These came out crisp on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth soft on the inside with semi-sweet chocolate chips in every bite.

Finally, I baked the slow-fermented artisanal pita, which only took eight minutes in the oven (not much longer than toasting a piece of bread). I love the simplicity of this product: just whole wheat flour, bread flour, salt, water, yeast, and olive oil. This was the perfect pita for dipping in hummus, but I can also imagine using it for sandwiches.

Gluten-free options

We are big fans of the fact that all of Wildgrain's gluten-free products are made in a dedicated gluten-free facility, making them safe for people with Celiac disease. I selected the gluten-free country loaf, giant Snickerdoodle cookies, and cheese Tortellini.

Anyone who's had gluten-free bread knows the slices are usually bland, comically small, and the texture too dry and crumbly. The Wildgrain country loaf yielded thick slices that had plenty of bubbles on the inside and golden crust on the outside. It's bursting with so much rich, subtly nutty flavor, that was delicious with a pat of butter alone, but it also made a phenomenal canvas for my avocado toast. The only downside is that this bread takes some forethought. It has to bake for 28-32 minutes and then cool for another 20 minutes.

The cheese tortellini was also a major success. Gluten-free pasta tends to cook too quickly, resulting in overly soft, gluey noodles that stick together. That didn't happen with this tortellini, which cooked in boiling water for just three minutes. Thanks to a blend of four different cheeses stuffed inside, it had a complexity of flavor I haven't really experienced with other tortellini. The infusion of cracked black pepper into the pasta shell was a really nice touch.

My favorite gluten-free product was the giant Snickerdoodle cookies, which only took 15 minutes to bake. The cookies turned out moist and buttery, with just enough chew and sweet without being cloying.

Cons to consider

We think it's worth noting that you need a lot of freezer space, particularly if you opt for a six- or 12-item box. I definitely had to reorganize when my shipment arrived.

Some of the products, like the bread loaves, require up to an hour of preheating the oven, baking, and cooling. Though it's quicker than baking bread from scratch, not all the items are great for quick meals.

Lastly, you can't combine gluten-free and regular bread items, which is inconvenient for a combination gluten family. For celiac-conscious households, though, this is probably a plus because it eliminates the risk of cross-contamination.

The bottom line

I definitely recommend Wildgrain for anyone who loves fresh bread, artisanal pastries, and hand-cut pasta but doesn't have time to make them or doesn't live near a great bakery. Plus, the gluten-free options are delicious and far better than any I've tried from my local grocery stores.

The only drawbacks to Wildgrain are the cost per item and the need for freezer space. That said, Wildgrain's breads, pastas, and pastries are good in the freezer for up to a year, so I can stock up without worrying about food waste. Although these products are more pricey than what I'm used to buying, I'm happy to pay extra for stellar taste, texture, variety, and convenience.